Not Pretending Anymore
by LunaDrake
Summary: Years have passed since she left the wizarding world. He tried to find her without success. Now that he has given up he finds her. Now that they have a chance to set things right, will they? But wait, she doesn't remember him or their history together.
1. Chapter 1

This is the sequel to my first story Just Pretend. It took me a while but I have finally gotten inspiration to start this. I still don't know how this one will turn out since these things sometimes take a life of their own.

Hope you enjoy this as much as you enjoyed the first one.

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><p><em>"No. I can't do it anymore!" She cut Dumbledore off. "Do you not understand? I have lied to you all!" She stood up. "I will accept the consequences of my actions. I cannot lie anymore! I don't want to hurt the people I love anymore." She raised her wand as if offering it to the gods.<em>

_"Mione, what are you doing?" Ron took a step towards her._

_"What I should have done from the beginning. Please don't try to stop me. This is for the best." She closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath. **"Aufero totus veneficus quod scientia" **Her wand started to glow._

_"What is she doing?" Harry knew this was not good._

_"She is renouncing her magical powers and with it her place in our world." Dumbledore responded sadly._

_"We have to do something! We can't let her do this." Ron tried to run to her._

_"No, she has to be the one to stop on her own. If we interfere she might loose control and that would be worse." Lucius put out a hand to stop him. "Miss Granger think about this. Think of all the people that you are leaving behind."_

_"I have made my choice." She looked at Draco who turned away from her. Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked back at Lucius. **"Un rependo diligio est valde dolens. Sucurro illum reperio gaudium."**_

_Lucius was startled by the emotion in her words. He was not aware that she could speak the ancient language outside of spells. He was sure that only he and Dumbledore were able to understand her message. He gave her a small nod to let her know that he understood her request._

_Harry tried to get Draco to stop her. "Draco do something! Do not let her go! Tell her that she is wrong, tell her the truth!"_

_"The truth, the truth! She is telling the truth!" He turned to glare at her. "I should have known better than to trust you! We had a deal! Everything was going according to plan! Now you do this! Why?"_

_"Draco please try to understand." She pleaded._

_"No! I cannot understand your reasoning. It was an agreement! A pact for you to stay with your friends and for me to be free! What ever everyone thought we had was not real! I have never felt anything for you! It was as you said, just pretend!"_

_"So be it." She closed her eyes and poured all her magic to her wand. **"Vigoratus meus poena pro huic universitas ego non subsisto!"**_

_A silvery glow covered her and her wand. All her magic and knowledge of the wizarding world was pouring into her wand. Everything that made her a great witch was contained withing and turned her wand into a crystal._

_**"Volo ut satus interrum." **She let go of her wand and it floated in front of her. A small tendril of magic touched her forehead. A single tear made it's way down her cheek as her life and memories on the wizarding world were erased and replaced with muggle ones._

_Dumbledore watched with great sadness. He could hear her friends desperately trying to stop her. Their pain as they saw their sister sacrifice her life for another. This only showed how truly powerful and selfless she was. He would guard her crystal wand until it would be time to give it back._

_Lucius understood the reasoning behind her actions. He had been aware of their deception. Almost from the beginning, he had suspected that something was not right. One night Narcissa had confirmed his suspicions. This now proves what they had feared all along. Hermione fell in love with their son and was willing to risk her happiness in order for his son to find it._

_Hermione opened her eyes and looked at Draco before the last of her memories were taken. He was still glaring at her. She could see anger and betrayal in his eyes, which made her heart ache painfully._

_"Please forgive me." She whispered. "I love you Draco." After she said that she disappeared._

_"No! Hermione!"_

Hermione sat up on her bed gasping for breath. Her heart was going a mile a minute, her whole body was shaking and she was crying. She sat there trying to calm down after that dream. She got up on shaky legs and went into her bathroom to wash her face.

"What was that? Such a weird dream but it felt so real. Who were those men in my dream? Why do I feel that I should know them all? And what were they wearing? Had that been at a costume party or something?" She shook her head to clear it. "This is too weird. Perhaps I am overworking myself."

She looked at her clock once she got out of the bathroom and saw that it was almost time for her to get ready to go to work. She began her daily routine to get ready and soon forgot all about the dream she had. She even had time to have some breakfast which she rarely ever had time for.

Her life had changed a year after her parents death. She had been found in her old home unconscious and when they had taken her to the hospital she had lapsed into a coma. Apparently she had suffered a stroke. The doctors had been able to stop the hemorrhage in her brain and that is when she had lapsed into the coma. They were not sure if she would ever wake up. And if she did wake up they didn't know how much damage it had caused. She woke up in the hospital after a month. The doctors were amazed at her recovery.

Now after five years of her accident, she was one of the most successful lawyers that England had ever seen. She has never lost a case since she started her career. She was the most sought after lawyer in the country. She could afford to pick her clients and charge whatever she wanted. She had her own practice and only employed the best lawyers that she could find.

Her cases ranged from high profile to very simple and domestic. She would often take a case that no other lawyer wanted and win it. She also helped the low income clients by giving them a lower rate than anybody else would only ever dream of giving. She didn't have to worry about charging them too much because the high profile cases covered them along with her own money. After her parents died in a car accident everything that they owned became hers. And since her parents had been very busy dentists they had a lot of money and many properties.

She now lived in a very luxurious mansion which for some reason looked like a replica of a castle. She had bought the property near a cliff and had hired an architect to rebuild the previous house to her specific designs. The result was a replica of a castle she had seen in her dreams a lot during her first year after she came out of the coma. It had just been finished a few months ago and the decorations varied from one room to the other.

Dreams had plagued her nights since her recovery. But every time she had them something different would happen. It was as if she was trying to remember something. She would always dismiss them once her day started. She had better things to do than to worry about what she dreams.

She made her way to her favorite coffee shop just like every morning. Even though it looked to be an ordinary day there was something that was telling her that today was different. She felt nervous for some reason. As she went in she looked around and found that everything was in place. The same people were there working and the same bustle of activity could be seen. She ordered her usual and waited for the barrista to give her coffee. When she was handed her coffee she turned to walk out and bumped into a warm and solid wall of muscle. Her coffee spilled all over the stranger's shirt and she heard a hiss of shock and pain come out of the strangers mouth.

"I am so sorry." She quickly turned around to get some napkins to help clean the mess of coffee.

"You should be. You have just ruined my favorite shirt with your clumsiness. Do you even realize how expensive this shirt is?" The stranger snapped at her while trying to salvage his shirt.

His tone did not settle well with Hermione. She was not the only one at fault for this accident. Who in their right mind would stand so close to another person that is grabbing a hot cup of coffee? She apologized and his response was to snap at her. How dare he.

"I am truly sorry for ruining your shirt, but you should not be standing so close to a person with a coffee in their hand. How was I supposed to know you were behind me?" She calmly replied.

The stranger froze when he heard her voice. He would recognize that voice anywhere. He looked up quickly to make sure that he was not dreaming again. There in front of him glaring and with her arms crossed in annoyance was the woman he had been dreaming of for years. She had changed, she now looked more mature and beautiful. He was standing there like an idiot just looking at her.

"Well, say something." She snapped.

"You owe me a new shirt?" Was the only thing he was able to say.


	2. Chapter 2

Ok here is the second chapter for Not Pretending Anymore. I know that it has taken me a while to update but I will try to upload more chapters. Hopefully I can have this story finished before the year is out, no promises on that though.

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><p>Draco made his way to Harry's office. Many witches and wizards stared at him. His shirt still had the coffee stain. In his hand he held a small rectangular paper. His now semi long hair was severely mused. No one had ever seen him so disheveled during these past years. What had happened to the cool and collected Malfoy heir? Ron and Blaise saw him practically run by them without acknowledging them. They shared a look and followed him.<p>

Harry looked up from the report he was reading when his door was thrown open. "Malfoy, why do you never knock?" He glared at him.

"Save it." Draco paid no attention to his glare and gave him a business card. "Look at this."

"A business card?" Harry looked dubiously at him. He was sure that he had finally lost his mind. He turned the card over to read what it said. Shock was too mall a work to describe what he felt. "Where did you find this?" He asked eyes wide. Blaise and Ron went in at that moment.

"At a muggle coffee shop that I like to frequent." Draco knew exactly how he felt. The shock of finding her in such a manner had amazed him. They had all spent most of their free time looking for her during all these years. And now that they had almost given up, he had found her.

"Harry what is going on?" Ron looked at them both.

Harry handed him the card. Blaise looked over Ron's shoulder to read it. They were both startled to read the name on the card. They looked at Draco to see if this was some kind of joke on his part. They saw that he was completely serious. After all these years he had found her.

"Hermione?" Ron whispered.

"Where did you find her? When?" Blaise looked straight at Draco.

"Actually I bumped into her a few hours ago." Draco smiled as he remembered the encounter.

"A few hours ago? Why are you just telling us right now?" Ron demanded.

"Well, you could say that we had a very **hot** encounter." He lightly touched his shirt and grimaced.

Blaise looked at his shirt and began to laugh. Harry and Ron took a bit longer to comprehend what he was referring to. When they did get it they joined Blaise in the laughter.

"The coffee was really hot and she spilled it on my favorite shirt." Draco scowled.

"Draco, according to you all your shirts are your favorites." Blaise remarked.

"That is because they are." He smirked.

"Hermione did that to you? Does she remember who you are?" Harry asked curiously.

"No she doesn't remember. Her spell was really thorough. I was behind her at the coffee shop, she turned around with her coffee in her hand and crashed into me."

"Why have you not cleaned yourself with magic?" Ron wondered.

"Because she offered to have the shirt cleaned and if it didn't come out perfect then she would replace it. If I clean it I wont have an excuse to see her again." He explained.

"So you are going to take her your shirt?" Ron crossed his arms.

"When are you going? I want to see her." Harry stood from his desk.

"Yes, I am taking my shirt to her law firm later today. No you may not come with."

"Why not? She is our friend and we want to see her." Harry demanded.

"We can't all just barge into her life again. Not since I royally messed up." Draco sighed.

"Got that right." Blaise and Ron muttered.

Draco shot a glare at them for that. "Let me try to win her trust again and then I can introduce you again. We have to be careful since she is a muggle now."

"Hate to say this but, you are right." Harry sat again.

"When am I ever wrong?" Draco smirked.

All three men looked at each other and said at the same time, "When you let her go!"

Draco cringed when he heard them. He knew he had made a mistake all those years ago. Now he had a chance to make things right again. He was not going to let her go this time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here is the third chapter. Hope you enjoy this. I wont promise to update soon but I do have some other chapters in the works don't know how soon I can have them up. I'll try not to take too long to update.**

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><p>Hermione hurried to her office, her encounter with the strange blond man had made her late. She paused in front of her secretary. "Good morning Jenny. Do I have anything on the agenda for today?"<p>

"Good morning Miss Granger. The only thing on the agenda is the meeting at two with Mr. Summers." Jenny, a black haired, blue eyed girl a bit older than Hermione responded.

"Is he the one that wants help with some contracts made by others in his company?"

"Yes, he is the one." Jenny nodded.

"Good, then I have time to review the other cases we have." She was about to go into her office when she remembered. "Jenny there is a man coming a bit later. His name is Draco Malfoy; he is going to bring his shirt to me."

Jenny looked confused by what she said. "His shirt?"

"Yes, I accidently spilled my coffee all over his shirt and offered to have it cleaned or replaced. When he arrives take the shirt and send it to the cleaners. Have them take the stain out and if it does not come out have them replace it with a similar shirt no matter the expense."

"Of course, should I let you know when he gets here?" Jenny wrote down the instructions on a note pad.

"Yes, let me know. Other than that don't pass any calls or interviews until Mr. Summers gets here. I will be reviewing my case for case for court tomorrow. I don't want to be sidetracked." Hermione said as she entered her office.

"Yes, Miss Granger." Jenny resumed her typing of the documents on her desk.

It was around three when Draco made his way to Hermione's office. He was very impressed by her office. It was very modern with a hint of classical elegance. He walked up to the woman sitting on the desk just outside what he assumed to be Hermione's office.

"Excuse me, my name is Draco Malfoy. I am here to see Hermione Granger."

Jenny looked up at the extremely handsome man in front of her. This is the man Miss Granger had told her about, but she neglected to tell her how he looked. "Ah yes, Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger informed me you were coming. Unfortunately she is in a meeting with a new client. She left instructions for your shirt. So if you could please leave it here with me it will be taken cared of."

Draco frowned but handed her the shirt. "When can I expect to have my shirt back?"

"It should only take a couple of days." She said while she wrote some instructions to go with the shirt.

Draco looked longingly towards Hermione's door. It was a shame that he couldn t see her again today. Perhaps when he returned for his shirt he would be able to see her and befriend her.

"Mr. Malfoy, could you please write down your information so that we can contact you when your shirt is ready?" Jenny gave him a pen and paper.

"I believe my card will be better." He handed her back the pen and paper with his business card on top.

"Oh, yes this is much better. Just let me tell Ms. Granger that you are here." Just as Jenny was about to press the intercom it came on.

"Jenny call security now!" Hermione's voice came thru followed by some crashes and curses.

"Yes, Ms. Granger!" Jenny grabbed the phone. "We need security at Ms. Granger's office asap" She hung up. "They are on their way." She said into the intercom.

"You bitch! How dare you call security on me! I will kill you!" They heard a rough voice scream.

Draco heard that voice and thought it sounded familiar. He turned to Jenny. "Who is in there with her?"

"That is Mr. Summers a new client." Jenny jumped when another crash was heard.

"Mr. Summers calm down. You don t want to do something you will regret." Hermione tried to not sound reprimanding.

Jenny glanced at the door a puzzled expression in her face. "How curious that we can hear from the intercom but not through the door."

Draco widened his eyes in realization. A silencing charm? How can that be? He shook his head to clear his thoughts. I'll think about that later right now I have get her out of there. He ran to open the door but it was locked.

"Why is she in there with the door locked!"

"Impossible, that door has no lock!" Jenny looked at the door wide eyed.

"Now I caught you bitch! Now my fun begins!" The man snickered.

"Let me go you foul man! No!" A rip of fabric was heard. "Jenny! Where the bloody hell is security? NO! Please don't do this!" Hermione struggled.

"Hermione!" Draco pounded on the door. He glanced at Jenny and saw that she was busy calling security again. He quickly took out his wand and unlocked the door. As soon as the lock was undone he burst in.

"Hermione!" He stopped in his tracks at what he saw.

"Mr. Summers after reviewing the documents that you have brought me, I can say that we have no case to pursue." Hermione handed the documents back.

"What?" Mr. Summers, a gray haired bulk of a man in his late 50's snatched the papers from her.

"The documents are as clear as day. I can not build a case with them since your signature is indeed your own. Based on the samples you brought and doing the comparisons there is no doubt. You were the one to sign those contracts." She sat back an observed his reaction.

"I did not sign those documents! You will build a case against this forgery! I will be paying you handsomely to do this! My brother has to loose everything!" He raged and stood up.

"I am deeply sorry sir but I can not take your case. If I were to take it I would be helping you to do something illegal. I have too much too lose if I were to do that. I will not risk all that I have built just to help you on your revenge." She said icily.

"I was told you would not help me. But I will get your services one way or another!" He lunged at her across her desk throwing everything on the floor.

Hermione slid her chair back quickly. Moving faster than she ever remember being able to move she ran to her door. She tried pulling it open but it wouldn't budge.

"There is no escape from me Gryffindor bitch!" Mr. Summers snarled as he approached her.

"Gryffindor?" She turned to him with a puzzled expression on her face. "What are you talking about? Are you mad?"

"How dare you think I m crazy!" He grabbed her arms and threw her near her desk.

The force of the impact on the floor disoriented her a bit. Bloody hell that is going to leave a mark in the morning. She was about to get up when her eyes landed on her intercom. She looked at the approaching man and judged whether she would be able to call for help. Taking a chance she lunged forward to reach her intercom.

Mr. Summers saw what she was trying to do and made a grab to stop her. "No one can help you now!"

Hermione pushed the button on her intercom and yelled. "Jenny call security now!" She faintly heard her secretary answer back.

"You bitch! How dare you call security on me! I will kill you before they get here!" He threw her chair at her and she barely had time to duck.

"Mr. Summers calm down. You don t want to do something you will regret." She tried to not sound condescending. She was amazed at how good her reflexes where. Every time the big lummox threw something she would evade it. Needless to say that her whole office now looked like a war zone. She saw him grab one of her prized trophies and she caught it before it could shatter.

He saw her place her trophy down and saw his chance to finally catch her. "Now I caught you, bitch! Now my fun begins!" He put his hands around her throat and began to squeeze.

"Let go of me you foul man! No!" Hermione clawed at his arms ripping his coat sleeves in the process. "Jenny! Where the bloody hell is security? No! Please don't do this!" Hermione struggled to get free.

She started to gasp for breath. She started to loose focus and she was sure that she was about to pass out.

*Alright, I know that you all know how to defend your selves with magic, but I would also like to teach you some muggle self defense." A woman with pink hair said. "If you are ever cornered and are without your wand remember these moves." She then proceeded to teach them different ways to defend themselves.*

Hermione put her hands on his chin and pushed back with all her might. She positioned her leg between his legs and kicked with all the strength she had left. He let go of her and she sank to her knees coughing and gasping for air. Mr. Summers lay on the floor moaning in pain and covering his most prized anatomy. She fell on the floor gasping for breath and coughing. As soon as she was able to breathe a bit more she looked for something to tie him with. Hermione glared at him as she made her way to her window and pulled the curtain. Without taking her eyes from the man on the floor she ripped the fabric into thin strips and proceeded to tie him up. She was just finishing tying him up when her door burst open. She looked up and locked eyes with Draco.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for the very long wait for this chapter. Thank you for being patient and for continuing to read this story. Let me know what you thought.

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><p>Hermione looked straight at Draco, she could almost remember him from another time. "Dragon?" She said unconsciously.<p>

Draco heard her whisper the name she had given him when they had first struck their deal. Could it be that she remembered something from their past? But how since the spell she used was very thorough? This was something that he would have to research.

Hermione straightened from her crouch beside a tied up bulk of a man. "Mr. Malfoy so glad you came. Please forgive the state of my office but I had a little disagreement with a potential client. Please have a seat." All this she said while trying to re-close her ripped blouse and kicking her client.

"Miss Granger, sorry we took so long but for some reason all the doors were locked even the ones without a lock." A security guard explained.

"How very strange. Have this bloody piece of trash detained in the interrogation room until the police gets here. Remove all his belongings, including his clothes and shoes. Lock him in only wearing his undergarments." She glared at the tied up man on the floor. "Tell everyone in the building to go home. They will get a full days pay for today and up until the building is once again safe for them. Have my architect and the security company here inspecting the building in an hour. I want all the security features tested again. I want to know why the building locked." Hermione ordered while she paced around her desk.

Draco watched as all the security guard left with the man in tow. He turned back to Hermione and noticed how agitated she was. He was about to say something but her secretary beat him to it.

"Ms. Granger are you alright? Should I call the medical staff to check you?" Jenny asked her.

Hermione saw how shaken Jenny was and walked up to her. "Jenny, don't worry. Everything is fine. I am fine. Nothing happened. There is no reason for you to be scared anymore. Go take the rest of the day off and calm yourself. I will take care of the rest for today."

"I couldn't leave you right now. You have that big case coming up and..."

"And nothing. You need to be calm if you are to help me. I can manage without you for this afternoon. Don't worry and go home." Hermione smiled at her.

Jenny nodded and went to her desk to gather her things to leave. Draco saw the exchange with a smile on his face. Even though she had a great scare she can still have a level head on her. He was very impressed by the way she handled all that happened.

"Ms. Granger, we contacted the security company but they said that they would not be able to come check the system today. That the earliest they could be here was in a week." One of her guards said.

"A week? Are they serious? What kind of company is this? Fine, thank you. Has that man been picked up by the police already?" She pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

"Yes, they already took him away and said that you would have to go down to the station to tell them what happened."

"Thank you. Please return to your post."

The guard left and Hermione and Draco were left alone. Hermione started to straighten her office as he watched her.

"Ms. Granger could I perhaps be of assistance."

She was startled by him. "Mr. Malfoy, I am sorry I had forgotten you where here." She turned back to straighten her office. "Did you give the shirt to my secretary?"

"Yes, she has all my information. That is not what I said. I believe I can be of assistance with your security problem." Draco handed her his card.

Hermione took it and looked at him again. "DHR Security?"

"Yes, Draco, Harry, and Ron Security. Harry and Ron are my partners in the business." He grinned.

"I have not heard of you before." She frowned.

"It's a fairly recent venture of ours. But I assure you that our security system is very effective. Other clients have been very pleased by it. They have said that the whole system seems to work almost like magic." He smirked.

"Alright, if you can do an estimate and a demonstration of your system that I would like then I will hire your company. You would need to secure this building along with three others including my home. The main controls for the whole thing will have to link to my home office computer and to my tablet. If you can do that then I will happily sign a contract with you."

"Alright, I will have to bring my partners to conduct an inspection of the properties so that we know what needs to be done. We would need the floor plans of all the buildings that are going to be monitored."

"I will have that for you when you get here for the inspection. I want this done as soon as possible." She stated.

"Right, how about we come tomorrow at 9am? Would that be acceptable?" Draco smiled.

"Yes, that is good. Thank you for coming Mr. Malfoy." She extended her hand to him.

"We shall see each other tomorrow then. Have a good day Ms. Granger." He shook her hand then left.

Hermione stood in the middle of her office looking at her hand. When they had touched it was as if something passed through them. It felt like a tendril of light passed from him to her. Not like electricity more like power. Yes, power. That is what she felt, power. How strange. She frowned and examined her hand.

Draco apparated as soon as he could. He needed to let the other two know what he had witnessed and done. Whoever that man is he knows Hermione's past. They needed to protect her. He hurried to the ministry. Soon they would be able to get back into her life. This time it was going to be different. This time he will not mess up. He is going to woo her and never again let her go. He would have to research the spell she used all those years ago to try to find a way to reverse it. Hermione Granger might be the brightest which of their school years but he was also very smart. And he has plenty of resources and many people that would help him to get her back. He grinned as he walked towards Harry and Ron's office.

Other witches and wizards looked at him as if he were crazy. This was the second time they had seen the Malfoy heir so different. What could have made him seem more relaxed and happier? No one had seen this side of him since his failed marriage attempt. Could the Malfoy heir be in love again? Who could this new woman be?

Draco paid no attention to anyone as he made his way to Harry's office. Once again Ron and Blaise went after him when they saw him walk by.

Harry was once again startled as Draco went into his office without knocking. "This has got to stop Malfoy! I am very close to hexing you!"

"Perhaps another time. I am a genius!" Draco smirked.

"Did you see her? How is she? Does she remember anything?" Ron rambled.

"I did go see her, but there is something you should know. Take a seat this will take a while." They all sat and Draco told them what had happened in her office.

"Did you recognize who that man was?" Ron asked.

"He seemed familiar but I couldn't place him. Perhaps he had a glamour charm on him. He was taken by police and his wand was taken away. He should still be at the station." Draco assured.

"I will send some aurors to retrieve our rogue wizard right now." Blaise left to make the report.

"So now we have to create a fake security company?" Harry asked.

"No, my father created one a few years back. He began it to safeguard the homes of witches and wizards against any intruder without using protection spells that would usually weaken them. He researched the way that muggles used their security systems and now he uses some of the more advanced equipment they have along with magic."

"How are we going to show her how all these things work if they are designed for our world not the muggle world?" Harry asked.

"Simple, we just need to show her how the system works, how it would keep her safe. She doesn't need to know exactly how everything works. She will never know that all the equipment is run by magic. I can ask my father for his input on all this." Draco looked at Ron and Harry.

"Alright, I'm in." Ron sighed.

"Ron we can't..." Harry tried to reason but Ron interrupted him.

"Look Harry, I know that we are seriously bending some laws here. But it seems to be the only way to have Hermione back. Besides, if what Draco witnessed today is an indication of what's to come then we need to be able to keep an eye on her." Ron reasoned.

"He is right Harry. Will you leave one of your best friends unprotected?" Draco smirked.

"Fine. We will go with her tomorrow and convince her to use that security system." Harry sighed in defeat. He couldn t believe that Ron and Draco had agreed on something. "I wish Hermione were here to witness how the weasel and the ferret play nice with each other." Harry looked at his so called friends and smirked.


End file.
